The New American Home: Wright-Inspired ‘Party Pavilion’?

By

Robbie Whelan

Jan 24, 2013 12:28 pm ET

Blue Heron

Each year at the National Association of Home Builders’ big trade show, a group of home-product suppliers teams up with a builder to sponsor the construction of the “New American Home,” showcasing the latest builders have to offer American consumers.

Generally speaking, the project has resulted in fairly tame architecture. Builders have occasionally experimented with new materials, but stuck mostly to the ranch house and villa styles that are comfortable for most Americans.

This year is different. Blue Heron, a Las Vegas developer, has built a New American Home that hardly resembles the typical American home at all. Sprawling at nearly 7,000 square feet, the home features a subterranean courtyard, thousands of square feet of artificial water features, massive concrete-like overhangs, metal hand rails, faux-travertine floors and dozens of glass walls. The home has a price tag of about $4 million. (See photos)